Process of curing ripe olives



Patented Sept. 26 1933 r uNiraofs'rA'rss PATENT OFFICE PROCESS OF CURING RIPE OLIVES Boyd Preble, Long Beach, Calif.

No Drawing. Application August a, 192:1

Serial No. 554,943

4 Claims. (Cl. 993) This invention relates to a process of curing consists in placing the ripe olives in a shallow ripe olives, and particularly to a process whereby vat and covering them with a caustic soda solu-' a dark color is imparted to the olives. In curing tion of from A,; to 2% per pound. One such apripe olives, it is essential that they have a glossy plication of caustic soda is suflicient for most of 5 black color when completed in order to produce the fruit with perhaps 2 or 3 for larger and more 60 a marketable product. tender varieties. The fruit is not exposed to the An object of my invention is to provide a procair between the caustic soda applications. As ess of curing ripe olives in which there is a masoon as the caustic soda has reached the pit of the terial saving in time, a substantial reduction in olive, I immediately start washing out with hot the number of applications of caustic soda, and water at temperatures varying up to 212 degrees 65 a glossy black color when the process is com- Fahrenheit. As soon as the olives show that they pleted. I are practically free of caustic soda, I treat them Another object is to provide a process in which with a solution ofpyrogallol, or one of its deriva-v there is asubstantial saving in the materials used, tives. The pyrogallol solution varies from and also aproduct is provided having a better to 5% per pound. Other derivatives of pyrogallol 70 taste. may be acid pyrogallic CsI-I3(OH)3 or gallic acid Other j advantages, and features of i CsH2(OH)3CO2I-I. H2O 3:4:5. The olives remain vention may appear in the subjcined detailed de in the pyrogallol solution for a period varying scription, and the appended claims. from five minutes to several hours depending on The process heretofore in use consisted of placthe size and variety of the olives. That is, until 76 ing the ripe olives in a vat and covering them the olives have absorbed enough of the above with a solution of caustic soda. A number of solution to give a desired reaction to the succesapplications of caustic soda were applied, desive treatments. The pyrogallol treatment may pending upon the variety and size of the olives. be given at normal room temperature or at tem- Sometimes as many as fifteen applications are peratures up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. 80 required. This, of course, required many days As soon as the olives have absorbed a quantity of time. .here more than one application of of pyrogallol, they are at once given a short apsodium hydroxide was used a period of from sevplication of a weak caustic soda solution (noreral hours to several days was allowed, during mally less than 1% per pound). This caustic soda 3.0 which the olives were exposed to the air and solution is given at normal room temperature. 95 oxidized in order to obtain a dark color. The This last caustic soda solution is allowed to re number of applications of caustic soda to the main on the fruit until it penetrates just below olives was continued until the caustic soda had the skin. As soon as the caustic soda has penepenetrated intoand thru the pit, of the olive inv trated thru the skin, the solution is drawn off 35,0rder to neutralize the bitterness in a normal and the olives are exposed to the air for a few uncured olive. These caustic soda treatments hours, at the end of which time they have a glossy were made at normal room temperature. black color resulting from the oxidizing action of After the caustic soda treatment the olives the air with the mixture of pyrogallol, caustic were washed in cold water at normal room temsoda, and the natural elements-of the olives.

40 perature to remove the caustic soda or to neu- When this exposure period is finished, the tralize the same. olives are again treated with water at either nor- The method heretofore in use of curing ripe inal atmospheric temperature or teinperaturesup olives consisted in several short applications of to 212 degrees Fahrenheit until all the caustic caustic soda as stated above, with about a 24 soda is again removed. When free of caustic soda,

hour air exposure period between each applicathe olives are boiled at 212 degrees Fahrenheit for tion. This method required from 15 to 30 days 7 approximately one-half hour, after which they to complete and gave a percentage of black olives are treated with a weak salt solution until salty varying from 19% to 90% dependim on the conenough to suit the average taste. The olives are dition of the fruit. (Ether items entering into the now ready to be canned or otherwise dispensed.

50 process are the chemical composition of the water With my process, in addition to materially reused and the expertness of the person handling ducing the treatment time, I secure practically the caustic soda applications, and also the ar- 100% glossy black olives having a better taste rangement of steps in the process. and consequently a more marketable product.

In my process the number of caustic soda ap- Another advantage in my process is that the plications is reduced toaminimum. The first step olives have an even black color which will not fade out or otherwise return to their natural or a brownish color. I

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In the process of curing ripe olives, comprising treating the olives with caustic soda and the addition of a treatment of pyrogallol solution substantially as described.

2. The process of curing ripe olives whichcomprises first immersing the olives in a caustic soda solution, 'then washing with the caustic soda, then immersing the olives in a pyrogallol solution, then immersing the olives in a second caustic soda solution, then exposing the olives to the air, and then washing the olives in water.

3. The process of curing ripe olives which comprises first immersing the olives in a causticsoda solution until the caustic soda has reached the pit of the olives, then washing out the caustic soda until the olives are almost free of said caustic soda, then immersing the olives in a pyrogallol solution, then immersing the olives in a weak caustic soda solution, then exposing the olives to theair until a glossy black color results, then washing the olives with water until all the caustic soda is removed then boiling the olives and then immersing the olives in a salt solution.

4. The process of curing ripe olives which consists in immersing the olives in a pyrogallol solution subsequent to a caustic soda treatment, then oxidizing the pyrogallol whereby a glossy black color is imparted to the olives.

BOYD PREBLE. 

